Vehicle light



W. A. ZIESING VEHICLE LIGHT Feb. 1934.

Filed May 7, 1931 INVENTOI Q WILL/AM A Z/Es/Nq fifiai ORNEY PatentedFeb. 6, 1934 yr STATE PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in lights, intended formounting on vehicles, such as aircraft, watercraft, automobiles, and thelike.

The primary object of the invention is to provide reflector means and areflector opening whereby two zones of reflected light rays may be madeto emanate from a light.

Another object is to provide a second reflector opening for a third zoneof direct light rays, both of said openings being separably covered by alens, one of said lenses permitting free passage of a forward anddownward zone of reflected light rays as well as similar passage of adownward and rearward zone of reflected light rays and the other of saidlenses permitting partially restricted passage of a forward zone ofdirect light rays during removal of glare from said portion of rays.

A further object is to provide a light of compacted, streamlined form,the longitudinal axis of which may be mounted substantially parallel tothe path of vehicle travel, thus minimizing resistance due to passage ofthe light housing through the atmosphere.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists of certain novelarrangements of light parts which will be hereinafter more fullyfllustrated and descri ed in the accompanying drawing and moreparticularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawing, in which numerals of like character designatesimilar parts throughout the several views:

Fig. l is an end View of the assembled light Fig. 2 is a side view ofthe assembled light;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic cross-section of the light showing the path ofcertain light rays emanating from the light source;

Fig. 4 a partial cross-section of the light showing a modifiedreflector;

Fig. 5 an end view of the assembled light moimted externally upon thewing of an airplane;

6 is a side View of the assembled light mounted externally upon the wingof an airplane; and

'7 is a side view of the assembled light mounted semi-internally on thewing of an airplanev In Figs. 1 through 3 of the drawing, 1 designates ahousing of streamline shape, 2 a reflector of combined paraboloidal andellipsoidal shape, 3 a light source and i a lens, forming one assembledarrangement of basic parts comprising a vehicle light.

In Fig. 4, reflector 2 has been replaced by the combination of amodified reflector 5 and a burnished inner surface 6 of streamlinedhousing 1, forming substantially the combined paraboloidal andellipsoidal shape of reflector 2; streamline housing 1, reflector 5,light source 3 and lens 4 forming a second assembled arrangement ofbasic parts comprising a vehicle light.

In Figs. 1 through 4, 7 designates a second lens, 8 the wiring from anelectric bulb and socket forming light source 3, 9 a grommet of suitableinsulating material through which wiring 8 emerges, and 10 a body lug bymeans of which the assembled light is attached to a suitable bracketmounted upon the vehicle.

It is of prime importance that the shapes an the positions of the basicparts of the vehicle light be maintained in the forms and in the 10-cations described hereinaiter.

Reflector 2 substantially embodies the shape of a paraboloid in thatportion adjacent to light source 3, so that rays traveling from lightsource 3 to reflector 2 will be reflected forward in paths substantiallyparallel to the longitudinal axis of the light source 3. As the raysfrom light source 3 strike reflector 2 further and further away from thelongitudinal axis of light source 3, the shape of reflector 2 graduallymerges into the shape of an ellipsoid so that rays reflected from thoseportions of reflector 2 will converge with the longitudinal axis ofreflector 2. By cutting away reflector 2, as shown in Fig. 3,rays 11through 1'7 emerge parallel to, rays 18 through 21 converge with andpass downward of, andv ray 22 emerges upward of, the longitudinal axisof light source 3. Streamlined housing 1', in conjunction with lens 4,which is substantially sim ilar in profile to the cutout in reflector 2,seal the interior of the assembled light against entrance of dust,water, or other foreign matter.

The structure of reflector 2 may be modified, if desired, in the mannerindicated in Fig. 4, without materially altering the effectiveness ofthe reflecting surfaces of the assembled light. Modifled reflector 5 isshown cut away in the vicinity of the region in which reflector 2changes from a paraboloidal to an ellipsoidal shape. The inner surface 6or streamline housing 1 is finished in a manner similar to the innersurface of reflector 5 and since the ellipsoidal portion of the innersurfaces of both streamline housing 1 and reflector 2 are approximatelyof like contours, the combined inner surfaces of reflector 5 and surface6 of streamline housing 1 substantially duplicate the inner surface ofreflector 2.

In applying a vehicle light to aircraft, there are three circumstanceswhich require special consideration. Great care is exercised in the dc:-sign of aircraft to reduce the drag of structural parts to a minimum. Itis therefore essential that housings for lights be compact and of thebest possible streamlined forms and that their longitudinal axes besubstantially parallel to the flight paths of the aircraft. It isfurther essenitial that illumination be furnished not only aheadmentioned reference plane.

of an oncoming aircraft, but also immediately beneath the aircraft inorder that the exact distance and nature of the land or water may beknown. It is still further essential that no illumination from a vehiclelight directly or indirectly envelope the propeller, engine cowling orother portions of an aircraft visible to the personnel operating thesame, as such illumina- -tion introduces a serious blinding effect andthus greatly reduces essential vision of the land or water ahead orbeneath the aircraft. While the cutout in reflector 2 makes possibleillumination forward, downward and sideward, thereby substantiallymeeting the requirements outlined above, the downward and sidewardillumination may be materially improved by placing the longitudinal axisof light source 2 at an acute angle to the left extremity of thelongitudinal axis of streamline housing 1, as shown in Fig. 3.

In order to permit rays 17 and 22 to pass forward, as shown in Fig. 3, asmall portion of streamline housing 1 is cut away immediately above theright extremity of the longitudinal axis. This cutout has thedisadvantage of permitting direct ray 22 to pass forward and up wardinto the region above the flight path of the aircraft. Any appreciablenumber of direct rays in this region would have a blinding effect to thepersonnel of two aircraft approaching each other in approximately thesame flight path. To eliminate this objectionable feature, asemitranslucent lens 7 has been installed in the streamline housing 1for the purpose of remov- 3 ing all glare from rays 17 and 22.

The position of the body lug 10, with reference to streamline housing 1and lenses 4 and 7 may best be described by reference to Figs. 5 through'7. Considering first, illumination of land or water as viewed directlyin line and at right angles to the flight path of an aircraft, the bodylug 10 is so positioned that the paths of the unrestricted rays leavingthe light pass downward and outward equidistantly to left and right of areference plane passed through the longitudinal axis of the streamlinedbody 1 perpendicular to the surface of the land or water, as shown inFig. 5, or that a predetermined majority of the light rays pass to theleft or to the right of the above- As has been stated above, care mustbe exercised not to tilt lens 4 sufliciently to left or right of theabove reference plane to cause the propeller, engine cowling or otherportions of the aircraft visible to personnel operating the same to bedirectly or indirectly illuminated. Considering illumination of land orwater, as viewed directly to one side of the flight path of an aircraft,the body lug 10 is so positioned that the longitudinal axis of the lightbody 1 is held substantially parallel to the flight path and that thepaths of the unrestricted rays leaving the light pass downward andforward and the paths of the non-glare rays leaving the ght pas-sforward and slightly upward, as shown in Fig. 6. In the above twofigures the assembled light is mounted entirely without the wingstructure, The assembled light may be mounted partially within the nosestructure of the wing of an airplane, if desired, as shown in Fig. 7.

The position of the grommet 9 with reference to the body lug 10 has forits principal object the minimizing of the length of wiring 8 which isexposed to atmosphere through which the light is passing.

I claim:

1. In a vehicle light, a streamline housing having its forward anddownward portion cut away, a convex clear lens extending forwardly andupwardly over a major part of the out-away portion of said housing, aconvex translucent lens extending upwardly over the remaining part ofsaid cut-away portion of said housing, the said lenses in combinationwith the said housing forming a closed body of continuous streamlineform, a reflector within said housing having its forward and downwardportion cut away, the forward and upward portion of said reflector beingof ellipsoidal shape and the rearward portion of said reflector being ofparaboloidal shape, and a light source mounted in said reflector, saidrearward portion of said reflector and said light source having a commonlongitudinal axis, the said common axis being disposed at an acute anglewith the longitudinal axis of said housing in such a manner that lightrays reflected from the said rearward portion of said reflector aredirected forwardly and downwardly from said housing.

2. In a vehicle light, a streamline housing, a lens forming a streamlinecontinuation of said housing, said lens comprising a clear portiondisposed immediately below and a translucent portion disposedimmediately above the longitudinal axis of said housing, a reflectordisposed within said housing, said reflector having a paraboloidalportion and an ellipsoidal portion, and a source of light positionedrelative to said reflector and so arranged with respect to said clearportion of said lens that substantially all of the reflected rays oflight pass directly from said reflector through said clear portion ofsaid lens.

3. In a vehicle light, a streamline housing, a lens forming a streamlinecontinuation of said housing, said lens comprising a clear portiondisposed immediately below and a translucent portion disposedimmediately above the longitudinal axis of said housing, a reflectordisposed within said housing, said reflector having a paraboloidalportion and an ellipsoidal portion, and a source of light positionedrelative to said reflector and so arranged with respect to saidtranslucent portion of said lens that substantially all of the directrays of light above the longitudinal axis of said housing pass throughsaid translucent portion of said lens.

4. In a vehicle light, a streamline housing, a lens forming a streamlinecontinuation of said housing, said lens comprising a clear portiondisposed immediately below and a translucent portion disposedimmediately above the longitudinal axis of said housing, a reflectordisposed within said housing, and a source of light positioned relativeto said reflector and so arranged with respect to said lenses thatsubstantially all of the reflected rays of light pass directly from saidreflector through said clear portion of said lens, that substantiallyall of the direct rays of light below the longitudinal axis of saidhousing similarly pass through said clear portion of said lens,

